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There is no such thing as a free sample!!!
By approving the receipt of a free sample, I was signed up for two expensive subscriptions.
Thankfully, my credit card company issued the fraud alert.


I cannot believe I fell for that, knowing better. A weak and curious moment. Feeling overwhelmed.


Just a PSA for my fellow caregivers, be careful during these stressful times!

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Rule of thumb - If something sounds too good to be true, it generally is.
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If you did not initiate or authorize by you, do not give out any card or any personal information. Be careful about offers in email or the mail. If unsure, destroy them!
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If a sample is truly free, they won't ask for a credit card. Anytime you enter a credit card, there is a good chance you will be charged for something. Some of those scams are very hard to stop in regard to billing. You might need to call your credit card company again to be assured they will not process any requests for payment - and I recommend that you contact them by signed on to your credit card account to do the inquiry from their own site. Or get a customer service email from your account page and sending an email so that you get something back in writing that no charges will be paid to that company.
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What I believe works the best is simply to have "NO" as your default response to everything. Even if sometimes actually turns out to be free, that doesn't mean I want it or need it--for example. I don't want the clutter of magazines I don't intend to read (and in this day and age of the internet, are most magazines really necessary?).

Speaking of "free with shipping charges", these shipping charges tend to have a lot of "profit" built into them! Many years ago I ordered a video (not free) and thought the shipping charges were too high, so I called the company and asked about it, only to hear "oh, we have to box it and handle it, etc." to which I answered "aren't those just basic parts of doing business?" The bottom line is that even the "legitimate" businesses often have their little gimmicks!
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NeedHelpWithMom Apr 2020
I feel exactly the same. Actually, I find the older I get, the fewer material possessions I desire. I hate clutter!

I value experiences over things. Time spent with those that I love, volunteer work and sharing with others.
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OK.. you all talking about people scamming you. I am going to talk about AT&T here...we had internet. The key word here is "had". We HAD internet. I had called them to let them know we were going to be moving in more than 3 weeks and to cancel our internet service on Feb. 28th. (We were on AutoPay... DON'T EVER DO AUTOPAY) They acted like they understood and HAD DOCUMENTED THAT. Well... my credit card was charged $55 in March. I called them. (Call #2) Got hung up on within 2 minutes AFTER being on hold for 35 minutes, after having explained what I was calling for. They did not call back. I called them back. (Call #3) Explained why I was calling AGAIN after being put on hold for 45+ minutes. They said they would take care of it. Would NEVER tell me that I would get my money back onto my credit card. Sure enough... still taking money out of my account. (Call #4 after being on hold for over 30 minutes) Yep... they still did not know about me calling back in Feb. telling them I was moving and was to stop internet service on Feb. 28. I have called 3 times before this... why has my internet service NOT been cancelled? They don't seem to know. I am hoping they finally cancel it. Called April 6 just to check. NOPE.. they have NOT stopped it yet! Now... every one of those phone calls sounded like someone NOT in the US and it is happening again...someone with foreign accent. After explaining to this girl in some foreign country why I was calling... she said I need to talk to a "specialist". She disappears... I wait... about 15 minutes. Finally, someone comes on that sounds American. I ask her where she is... she says in Idaho. After explaining AGAIN why I am calling, she says I will receive $55 back on my card.. and no more. She says there is no record of me calling that first time! I tell her that I have called other times. Is that not recorded? She says it is but she is not telling me the dates. She then asks about AT&T's equipment.. you know, the modem. Have I sent it back yet? (Why would I if they have not recorded me having stopped service yet? duh) I told her..."You are the 6th person I have talked to about stopping internet and you are the ONLY one that has mentioned to me about doing anything with that modem. How come no one else has mentioned it?" She, of course, does not know the answer to that question.

AT&T just would NOT cancel my internet, just kept charging me. Finally, on the 5 phone call, the 6th person, they cancelled it. They refused to cancel the service and refuse to refund all they owe me since February 28, 2020. Thieves.
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Sendhelp Apr 2020
AT&T is impossible to deal with. They are predatory and should be stopped.
You are not alone.
Their business model is really a scam, in practice, AND IS PREDATORY!!!
They could not even get the autopay correct, and they kept cancelling it themselves, expecting me to play their game to set it up again and again.

In a perfect world, their monopoly would be ended. imo.

How can they get away with charging seniors $110/mo.
for just internet and land-line phone service? And, pay two separate accounts??? Sheesh. I will not sign up for a "package", because when it expires the price is huge.
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Remember, it's NOT free if they ask you to pay shipping cost. It's NOT free if they ask for a credit card number
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Sendhelp Apr 2020
Yes, that is true!
Everyone has been so nice, after my ignorant "mistake".
Self-admonishment, self-criticism, runs rampant.
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Dear Send,
Curious George was 1 of my favorite books growing up. I love that you shared your story. Maybe it will save another clicking monkey! Love, Boots
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Sendhelp Apr 2020
Thank you Boots!
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I am reluctant to give any business my CC number no matter how legit they appear to be. When RD renewed subscriptions and/or sent me crap after I had cancelled I just ignored the reminders to pay - so sue me you @%#&!
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I got caught up with a face cream that sent a 30 day trial offer. When I called to cancel they stated that I had to cancel in 14 days. WTH? When I looked into it I found out ppl returned the product but the company said they did not receive it or that it was damaged.

Furthermore I found out they can’t even sell in my state because they have an injunction against them for mail fraud.

When I told my bank, they said they researched it and that I had agreed to the terms so therefore I was responsible for the bill. I called the bank to get my money back, not to judge my actions. Why are they telling me what to do with my money?

i wish that was the last time I screwed up but I still get caught up with free offers. Right now I have some rewards to get as soon as I complete this questionnaire that leads to the next questionnaire endlessly...

Get mad not embarrassed!

charlotte
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Sendhelp Apr 2020
Char,
Yes, I was mad, and when I called them to cancel, "Sky" in Florida said it was already cancelled. Thanks to my bank stopping the charges. These companies are not going to send you anything if there is no money!
Then, when I was done with my rant, (including saying if she has found my account then she has enough information to cancel it and I was going to hang up)= (No more questions!); after telling me that she was just going to give me the cancellation number, I hung up abruptly. Guilt for being rude.
But poor SKY should get a real job maybe.

I am giving up the monkey.
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Minsu,
"Clicking like a monkey" is what my husband says to me whenever I am using the computer in an unwise manner, clicking here and there, curious what this and that does.
Ending up in trouble, he rescues me.

We all know that a monkey cannot use a computer, and would just "click" anywhere on the keys, indiscriminately.

There is even a comic monkey called "Curious George".
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What does "caregiver clicking like a monkey" mean?
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Sendhelp Apr 2020
Answer posted above Minsu.
Thanks for asking...
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My motto is:
If you have to pay any money to get it, then it’s NOT free.
There is a special place in hell for those who scam and take advantage of others, especially senior citizens.
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Sendhelp Apr 2020
Agree. It is misleading when the product is "free", but shipping is paid. Never again.
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You are right. *No such thing as a free trial.***

I once fell for a similar scam. When I first began to order online, and found how “easy” it seemed to be. Got an AD for some beauty treatment that said free, but wanted my credit card #. Long story short, in extremely fine print it also signed me up to get refills ( a subscription) every month for over $200. each !
It was stressful, took some time to straighten out. I did report it as well. Learned that this is common. They’ll simply change the name of the product and move on to another scam. Be very careful. If something says “free”, beware !

No need to be embarrassed. It happens a lot, and feeling embarrassed only further fuels these crooked companies. Share the story with others in whatever way you can.

By the way, the product that came was an empty container !
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Sendhelp Apr 2020
Sorry that had happened to you Nancy.
The promotion said "free sample", so I was blindsided there when they did not use "Free trial".
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Beware!!!
So, I just heard about the latest scam. People calling to get your bank account number to deposit the government stimulus check into your account! Beware.
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Thanks, how could I not tell the caregivers here?
Taking care of it required me to call the company who made the charges.
If it happened to me (and I thought I had so many rules to prevent this from happening!) it could happen to others when under pressure. There was nothing to indicate online that an automatic subscription was required or that I 'signed up" for it.
Since having to order online now from Amazon and grocers, it was the first time using my credit card online. Before, I used only Amazon gift cards. So, next step, got carried away.
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Send,

I am sorry this happened to you but glad it was resolved. Scammers will always be out there looking for prey and using new tactics.

It never ends. Just as soon as some are caught, a bazillion more pop up. Constant battle to catch all of these thieves!

It’s best to do what you are doing and warn others. Thanks for looking out for others and reporting it.
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Sendhelp Apr 2020
And, I knew better.
Goes to show that when under added stress, we all can make some poor decisions.
Going to tighten up my internet use.
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So sorry. Like said, nothing is free.

Years ago my sister signed up with a telephone sellers for Magazines. You can pick five for blah blah amount of money a month. After a while she tried to unsubscribe and was told she had to pay up the whole FIVE years she signed up for. She had figured she was paying monthly more than the magazines would have been with a regular subscription. She ended up letting them continue sending.

I would love to have the money my MIL spent on Video, Cassettes and CD clubs. I don't think she ever picked anything, she just allowed them to send their pick for the month. I don't think she knew how to stop them from coming. (You refuse a shipment) She would start one of those magazine figurine things, stop it, and start again. This caused duplicates.
Readers Digest, she either did the same thing or kept ordering the same books. This was all after my FIL died. He wouldn't have allowed it. Then she had the nerve to cry poor.
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Sendhelp Apr 2020
Thanks JoAnn.
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Thanks, that is a good guideline to keep.
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Right! Never give CC info for "$1 or $5....", because you KNOW that's not really how much they're hoping to make from you. Whatever it is that you're looking for, you can find it pretty cheaply on Amazon or Ebay. If it's not on Amazon or Ebay, you probably don't need it!
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Sendhelp Apr 2020
Okay Gems!
I did not need or want the product, was going to give it away! My bad.
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We've all been there. My nemesis was Reader's Digest, for such a huge, supposedly reputable multinational company they sure do use scummy tactics.
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Isthisrealyreal Apr 2020
And bill you every 6 months for that annual subscription. They didn't like me for not paying every single bill they sent.

I was pretty livid when I found out the gift subscriptions were renewed by myself and 3 of my loved ones. No one paid for a subscription for 5 years when I finished with them.
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So embarrassed.
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Alicew234 Apr 2020
You shouldn't be the one who feels embarrassed. The companies who operate on a "buyer beware" (caveat emptor) system should be embarrassed.
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